Too Little Too Late
by geekdad
Summary: Artemis learns the heartbreaking lesson you can't go home again to a place you've spent years running from. Spitfire one shot. Anti-fluff. Endgame does not exist and never will.


Too Little Too Late

_And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make._

_Lennon/McCartney_

She had no right being there, she knew that. She knew that the entire 3 hour train ride, but logical rational decision making had never been her forte. It would have been a much quicker trip if she could have used the Zeta Tubes, but she'd lost that right a long time ago.

He had been slightly more difficult to find than she had imagined. Her initial searches had led her back to California, and then to Keystone. He had been careful to cover his tracks, but when she discovered the name _W R West_ in the Register of Deeds office in the small town of Blue Valley it had only taken moments to piece it all together, after all it was a stone's throw from Central City.

It had been several months, probably more like a year; she was never very good with dates. She remembered the last time she'd seen him, she always would. There were no tears, no hurt puppy dog eyes, just a solemn if slightly sad look on his face when he kissed her check and said goodbye. She expected the explosions, the arguments, perhaps even the angry sex the two were famous for, but not a simple turn of his back and a door shutting quietly.

She'd known this was coming, she could read him like a book. She had been cold and matter of fact, she had to. There was no _oh my god's_ or _squeals of joy_, no_ I'm not sure I m ready's_, just a simple cold cruel _no_. She handed him back the ring and he was gone.

For a man who lived between the seconds of a clock, his timing was never very good. Her mother had only been dead a month or so, her killer still not found. He loved her desperately and only wanted to keep her safe, to love, cherish, and take care of her the way she deserved, but she needed her freedom, she couldn't be tied down, not then, not ever.

Once they left for the hunt, it took less than two weeks for her and Jade to find the killer. The man's last moments on Earth were full of agony and torture, death had been a sweet release for him, but that was only the beginning. The two natural born assassins would follow the chain, climb the pyramid until the very last person connected to that man were gone, vanished with extreme prejudice in only a way the two could do, the way they had been trained since childhood.

The archer and speedster's paths almost crossed a few times. A crimson and lightning streak would explode down the streets and avenues as she hid in the darkness. A small part of her hoped he was searching for her, but the sudden wail of sirens in the distance followed by another costumed hero rushing to the scene convinced her otherwise.

Finally their task was done. Even Lawrence had helped out. His false bravado made his cooperation seem due to a slight against his reputation, but the two women knew otherwise. Despite the years, the fights, the separation, he loved Paula Crock in his own fucked up way. It's all he knew.

Jade returned to her old life, her family, and Artemis came along having nowhere else to go. She did not look forward to being around her brother in law in any way, shape or form. They had never been close, never seen eye to eye, but as she walked in the door she was greeted by a new man, a changed man. He held his daughter in his arms and briefly handed her to her aunt while his lips crashed against his raven haired wife he had missed so much. Lian looked at the blonde and smiled, Aunt Artemis was the young girl's favorite, and it melted the archer's heart to feel that unconditional love, the same love she walked away from time and time again.

One reason she and Roy had held such disdain for each other was due to their similarities. They were essential the same person. No nonsense, no bullshit, all business minded individual who could not tolerate sloppiness or amateurs, but now in front of her stood a changed man. Even when he had been partnered with Oliver he had been solo, in his mind and in his heart. That was no longer the case.

She swallowed hard as she watched the family before her hug, and kiss, and love. She had never imagined Jade could function, even survive in such an environment, neither one had grown up with love, not really. Jade looked back at the sister she had fought against for so long and kindly nodded, her eyes beginning to water. She had missed her husband and daughter so much. She had barely spoke of them the entire time they had been on the hunt, but it was because it hurt so bad, was too personal, Artemis realized that the woman known professionally as Cheshire, one time member of the Shadows, deadly assassin for hire, needed her family like she needed oxygen. She and Roy had found a rhythm, a synchronicity, and they needed each other to survive this roller-coaster called life. That was the exact moment Artemis knew she had been such a fool.

The window to the condo had been left unlocked, and why wouldn't it be? It was on the top floor of a three story complex. Only an individual such as a trained acrobat, a former partner of a Dark Knight would ever think to enter in such a way. He probably came in that route just to scare the owner anyway; he enjoyed doing the ninja thing.

Artemis slowly opened the window and climbed in softly. Startling a man who could move at the speed of sound was a dangerous proposition. Surprising a man with whom she had not spoken to in ages with the touch of her lips on his would take grace and ability, two things she had in spades.

After a few moments it was clear the condo was empty. She turned on a lamp and stood surprised at the cleanliness, the organization. For the five years they lived together, he showed no desire to live in such a manner, probably comfortable knowing his blonde roommate would take care of the mess he left, he could be lazy like that.

For a moment she grew concerned she had broken into the wrong home, but the place had his scent, his smell.

She glided through the rooms, inspecting them, trying to imagine the existence he led now. On a shelf in the den she discovered the pictures, remnants and memento of his life. His souvenirs. There was a signed picture of Dick Grayson sitting to the right; an amusing birthday gift they gave each other that only the two thought were hilarious. Artemis smiled at the thought of the one sitting on a mantle in Bludhaven. There were no heroics, no costumed vigilantes, just close friends he had grown up with.

The one next to that was a picture of the boys celebrating Conner's one year anniversary from Cadmus, taken in the abandoned vacant lot the building once stood. That was a moment that changed them all forever, and they acknowledged it, the four of them, every year.

The next one she found was one of her favorites. A birthday celebration with a dark haired magician and a sandy brown haired Martian kissing both sides of his cheeks while he smiled for the camera. The only gift he asked for every year, even after they were a couple. It was a running joke, but the women eagerly complied. They loved him, they were family.

The next were various pictures of his parents, the Allen's, he and Bart.

Finally she came across one she had never seen before, and she felt her mouth grow dry. The red head had his arms around a beautiful Asian woman; they faced each other, staring deep into one another's eyes, as if the camera and the world around them didn't exist. Even a blind man could recognize love.

After a few moments, she angrily put the picture down and intently searched for more, but did not find what she was looking for. She opened frames to see if any had been moved to the back, opened books to see if they were kept flat and protected.

She left the shelf and searched the condo, opening drawers, and closets, looking in boxes, cabinets, bedside tables. Nothing. There was not a trace of her in his home, in his life. Not anymore. She had been white washed, erased.

Artemis sat down on the couch staring blankly into space. Heartache is not something she subscribed to, but there it was, alive and screaming within her chest. She pursed her lips denying the frown that was trying to form. She carefully placed everything back in its proper place and entered his bedroom. She went to his dresser and found his cologne, spraying it on herself. She opened his drawers and pulled out a t shirt, and wrapped herself in it, finally laying on his bed, under his sheets as the tears began to flow.

She breathed deeply trying to soothe the hurt inside. She had spent so many years running away from him, only to sprint back when she needed him. That was their thing, except it wasn't, it was her thing. He never wanted her to leave, he wanted her by his side forever, that's what the ring signified. She wasn't ready then, but she was now. She had missed her chance.

Several scenarios played out in her mind: maybe that's how he dealt with anger-his hurt, perhaps the picture of the Asian woman may be old, maybe he carried the blonde's essence on his cell phone or somewhere safe from prying eyes. She didn't believe in hope, her father had beaten that out of her years ago, but held on to it nonetheless.

On his bedside table, a light was blinking on his home phone. A call was waiting, a message left. Her hands trembled slightly as she pushed the play button.

"_Hey babe it's Linda. I know you're off saving the world somewhere with you super friends," the voice giggled, "but I just want you to know I miss you and I can't wait to have you back in my arms, back in my bed too. As soon as you get this message, don't shower, don't unpack just come…."_

The phone on the other end of the call dropped to the ground and the women screamed before it trailed off to laughter.

"_Was that fast enough for you?"_ the message continued, the voice Artemis's one time love now playing on the other end, in someone else's home, someone else's arms, someone's else's life.

"_It was ok. Bart would have gotten here faster."_

"_You'll pay for that,"_ he laughed as the sound of lips meeting and moans beginning finally faded with a beep, and the message ended

Artemis hung up the phone and stumbled slightly to her feet. This woman, she knew, she knew everything. He had shared everything.

The archer no longer tried to hold back the tears. Her world crashed around her, the life she thought she could walk back into at a moment's notice and hit some magical reset button was gone.

She swallowed hard, remembering the gleam in his eyes, the smile on his face as he knelt down on one knee and opened the box. She remembered the sound the case made as it closed and was placed back in his pocket. She remembered every second of his lips as they gently touched her cheek that one final time.

She even remembered lying in a grass hut somewhere in Thailand as she and Jade waited till darkness to kill the warlord that supplied opium to his connection in the Gotham Drug Cartel, the man that employed a man who employed a man, Just another number on a food chain. She remembered lying on the ground, listening to her sister tell stories of Lian, all the while images of red headed freckled children danced in her mind, As she fell asleep that night, green eyes watched over her dreams.

Artemis rolled up the t shirt, sprayed it one final time with his cologne and placed it in her bag. She walked to the kitchen, and opened the window.

She knew it was pointless, but she whispered in a husky voice that cracked "_Yes. Yes Wally I'll marry you. God I love you so much."_

She stepped out the window and carefully shut it behind her. Too little too late.

_Author's Note__. There is a shocking, shocking lack of spitfire stories coming out these days. I'm not sure if it's because YJ has run its course, if this couple holds no appeal anymore, or if fans have just moved on to new fandoms. Whatever the reason, it needs to change. I took a small break from __Lightning Strikes__ to write two quick drabbles, one happy, one sad. The other is called __Five Year Old Soccer Is Not A Blood Sport.__ I'll have it out and the next chapter of __Lightning Strikes__ in a few days, maybe less if you hound me, I'm an attention whore after all. _

_I don't usually do fics based on songs, but this story was lifted directly from the song __Your House__ by Alanis Morissette, a really beautiful song if you've never heard it._

_Also if you are looking for some great spitfire reads, check out __From Beginning to End of the Middle__ and __Shop Girl__. Their authors are extremely friendly folks, and I'm sure these stories are already on everyone's reading list, but just in case find em, read em, and enjoy em. Tell them Geekdad sent you. As always thanks for reading, review if you get a chance and hopefully enjoy. This one was a little sad I know, but it's been that kind of week._


End file.
